And here's what Ortiz said: "There's too much drama [on the Boston Red Sox]... I don't know if I want to be part of this drama for next year.... [The Yankees] lost just like we did; they just went to the first round of the playoffs... I ain't heard nobody coming out killing everybody just because they lost."

Makes me ask at what point do you have to return to the basepath after rounding third? And was he in in the basepath sliding into home?

And speaking of running outside the basepaths and Red Sox "drama"...

Reports that Josh Beckett often led a group of Red Sox starting pitchers in eating, drinking and playing video games in the clubhouse during games didn’t come as any surprise to former Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon.

McKeon told the Palm Beach Post that he had to lock the clubhouse door during games in 2003 to keep Beckett and fellow starter Brad Penny from leaving the dugout during games.

“In between innings they’d go to the clubhouse to get a drink or hang out,’’ McKeon told Palm Beach Post Marlins reporter Joe Capozzi. “I said, ‘Hey, I got no rule against going up if you have to go to the bathroom or something, but get back.’ A couple of times I looked down the bench to talk to somebody and they weren’t there. They were in the clubhouse. So I went up and got them out and said, ‘OK, boys that’s it. We’ll lock the door.’”

On Sept. 29, one day before manager Terry Francona parted ways with the Red Sox, multiple sources told the Herald that several starting pitchers had taken to drinking beer in the clubhouse during games on days when they didn’t pitch. Today, a story in the Boston Globe confirmed the Herald’s report and named Beckett, John Lackey, Jon Lester and occasionally Clay Buchholz as the pitchers who used the beer to wash down fast-food fried chicken and biscuits, in addition to playing video games.

It's not a dis professor..just analysis. I don't think CC will leave the Yanks. Boston and The Yanks will be in the bidding for Prince. Although he has improved in the field, Prince is not a fielder[pun intended]. That makes him the consummate DH. If he stays in the NL I'll be surprised. The only way he stays w/ the Brewers is if he gives them a hometown discount, and that's an anathema to his agent, Scott Boras.

Ann Althouse said..."I think you misread. The "aging, slow-footed, full-time DH" he refers to is Ortiz. He's 36 and slow."

Have you been watching the Brewers games? Maybe I made a leap there. Obviously, it refers at least to Ortiz."

Not "at least"...entirely. He actually says nothing negative about Fielder...only positive "Or would the Yankees be better off paying huge money for Fielder, whose lefthanded swing just might produce 50 home runs a year with the help of Yankee Stadium..."

As far as the JHJ slide...yep awesome. Plays at the plate from the outfield are the most exciting in baseball. That said, if the catcher had been Mike Scioscia, Hairston would never have gotten to the plate.

Fielder to the Yankees makes no sense whatsoever. They have a first baseman in decline (and signed long-term) and are married to ARod at $30M or so per year until 2017. No team can spend that much money for a DH, especially with ARod a season or two away from becoming a full time DH. This is simply Boras's attempt to jack up Fielder's price when the three biggest spenders (Yanks, RSox, and Phillies) will not bid on Fielder and hence lower his price.

"ndspinelli said...Curious, Molina is no slouch..he had the plate covered, Hairston just had the balance and agility to get around him. Hairston also had the good sense to know he couldn't go through Molina."

Didn't say he was...he is the best catcher in baseball. But Scioscia would have made sure he didn't get to the plate. He would have blocked that path completely first. Caught the ball second. Tagged the runner third. He was unique and the best ever at it. Unlike Molina who was standing, he would have had his left knee on the ground in foul territory up the line. This would have forced Hairston to go too wide, or be stopped cold.

By strict adherence to the rules you aren't allowed to impede the runner if you are not in possession of the ball...but no umps ever call that at the plate.

I love you Big Papi.. but after blowing a 9 game wild card lead like you guys just did.. please go and crawl under a rock and shut the F up.

True. Not only that, but Papi burst into his manager's post-game press conference earlier this season to protest a call that had turned one of his hits into an error. Papi was happy to stir up drama on that occasion and he looked very selfish in the process. Not his finest moment and makes him look a little hypocritical.

Papi will always have a place in my heart, but he should heed the old maxim that it's better to keep your mouth shut and appear a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Curious, I agree w/ you on Scioscia. He was the best I ever saw @ blocking the plate. However, in his days the main way to get the plate was through the catcher..not around him. It was a tougher game. With the increasing salaries there is more of a gentleman's agreement about knocking catchers on their ass, breaking up dp's, etc. Just look @ all the shit that Marlins player got for taking out Buster Posey earlier this year. In Scioscia's era that was just hardball.

"ndspinelli said...Curious, I agree w/ you on Scioscia. He was the best I ever saw @ blocking the plate. However, in his days the main way to get the plate was through the catcher..not around him. It was a tougher game. With the increasing salaries there is more of a gentleman's agreement about knocking catchers on their ass, breaking up dp's, etc. Just look @ all the shit that Marlins player got for taking out Buster Posey earlier this year. In Scioscia's era that was just hardball."

No doubt. Like I said, no "dis" on Molina. And I understand the "new rules". Just my first thought...no way Sciosca let's Hairston get to that plate. He would have made him go through him. And that would have ended up with Hairston hitting the wall, Sciosca catching the ball, and Hairston being tagged.

Sciosca once was knocked out in a collision at the plate...I forget who hit him...and he hung on to the ball. Dude was tough.

Neither Bosox nor yankees are a fit for him. Bosox have Adrián González in first. Fielder wont be a DH.Yankees have Texeira , third to last in clutch but the best defensive 1b of MLB.And Jeter and ARod will be sharing DH role soon.Jeter must be DH by now. He is beyond 25th in range at SSFor the same reason the wont sign Pujols, almost as good in defense as Texeira.